Measuring instrument.



PATENTED JUNE 9, 1908.

T. M. WBSTPALL; MEASURING INSTRUMENT. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 24, 1907.

2SHEETS-SHEET 1.

INVENTOR.

WITNESSES:

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

PATENTED JUNE 9, 1908.

JEE-

TFM. WESTFALL. MEASURING INSTRUMENT. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 24 wig/gm INVENTOR WITNESSES: as; m' MGM/2&6

STATES PATEN- THEODORE M. WESTFALL, OF FOSTORIA, OHIO, "ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO DEWITT C. WESTFALL, OF FINDLAY, OHIO, AND ONE-THIRD TO ELMEB. E. WESTFALL, OF

MOUNT PLEASANT, IOWA. I

MEASURING INSTRUMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 9, 1808,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THEODORE M. WEST-- FALL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Fostoria, in the county of Seneca and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Measuring Instrument; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention. relates to measuring instru ments, and particularly to instruments for -ment of the partsof the invention are fully described in the following specification, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in

- which,-

section on the line 2 2 in Fig; 1.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an instrument embodying the features of my invention. Fig. 2 is a partial elevation thereof in Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on the line 3 3 in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a similar view with a portion of the parts shown in Fig. 3 removed, and Fig. is a fragmentary section on the line 5 5 in Referring to the drawings, 6 designates a box or housing member from one side of which a convenient distance above its bottom projects a platform 7. Secured within the box to the side thereof from which the platform 7 projects, or in any other suitable manner is a' bracket 8. Projecting outwardly from an arm 8 of this bracket through an opening 9 in the box side is ashaft or spindle 10 on which a measuring drum or roll 11 is loosely mounted. This drum is disposed at one end of the platform face, and normally coacts with a lower yieldingly mounted pressure-roll 12, which has its trunnions journaled. in the forked end of a lever 13. The opposite end of the lever 13 is fulcrumed to a bracket 13 secured to the under side ofthe platform 7, and an upward yielding pressure is imparted to the lever and roll 12 by a coiled compression-spring 14, which is carried by a bolt 15, said bolt being suspended from the underside of the lat form, as shown in Fig. 2. The free end 0 the lever is provided in advance of the roll 12 with a plate 16 to which a downward pressure may be applied when it is desired to lowerv the pressure-roll from the measuring-drum 11.

While thedrum 11 may be of any desired size, it is shown as being nine inches or onequarter of a yard in circumference, and is provided, as at 17, with graduations to indicate the distance or fractional distances therearound.

Meshing with a small gear-wheel 18 fixed to the inner end of the drum 11, is a larger gear wheel 19, whichis mounted .on a stub-shaft 20 carried by the arm 8 of the bracket 8,

and in the present case is of properproportion relative to the gear 18 to revolve once during four revolutions of the latter, or for each yard'of linear movement of a point on the circumference of the drum 11.

21 designates an index-plate which is mounted for reciprocatory movement transversely of the drum 11 and carries a block 22 on its underside which works in alongitudinal slot '23 in a top-piece 24 of the box. This block is formed with lateral flangm or ribs to engage the bottom of the top-piece A to retain the plate 21 to its seat, as shown in Fig. 5, and has one of such flanges or ribs, preferably the one contiguous to the front of the box,

partially cut away on its u )per side to form a runway 25 between it an the top-piece 24, said runway being provided with an inclined nose 25. The index-plate 21 has its surface graduated as at 26 to indicate a desired number of yards, or other length designation as the nature of the use of the apparatus may require, and has its inner side formed with a tooth 27 for each yard or other designation thereon, as shown.

Pivoted, as at 28, to a block or boss within the box 1 is a lever or oscillatory finger 29, which extends upwardly from said ivot and has its upper end formed with a 11 29 for engaging the teeth on the index-p ate, the

oscillatory movement thereof being limited ,by the length of a recess 24' in the side of the top-piece 24 in which recess the lever works.

'At each revolution of the gear-wheel 19 the a contraction-spring 31 actuates it to return to its normal or at rest position, thus causing the index-plate to be moved therewith the length of one tooth in the direction in which the numerals on the plate run.

In order to lock the mechanism against further movement when a predetermined length has been run off I provide an angled lock-finger 32, one arm of which is pivoted, as at 33, to a block 34 within the box and is provided onits underside, as at 35, with a notch for receivin the pin when the finger is lowered for $110 purpose, while the other arm thereof extends upwardly from its free end of the finger and terminates in a lateral 36. This lip normally stands in the ath of movement of the flange of the bloc 22 disposed'toward the front of the box and is rounded or tapered as shown to adapt it to pass over the inclined nose .25 of the runway 25 formed by such flange when the indexplate-and blockare moved from their extreme right-hand position to the left, as

- shown in Fig. 4. It is thus apparent that as soon as the index-plate is moved from its extreme right-hand position shown in Fig. {l the nose25v of the runway 25 will pass under the flip 36v and cause the notch in the finger 32 runway to be raised free from the pin 30 to permit the gear 19 to revolve; A spring 37 presses against the top of the finger 32 to throw it to its seat on the pin 30 when released from the The box 1 is shown as being large enough toreceive a series of price car s 38, the ends of which freely slide in grooves 39 in the ends of the box. .For'eachcard there is provided a lever-key 40, which is fulcrumed to a rod 41' at the side of the box through which it rojects and has, its inner end formed with a oot 42 on which its card loosely rests, thus causing a depression of the outer end of the key'to effect a raising of the associated card,

. as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. The outer end of the key is shown as having two numbers des- 'ignated thereon, one being-for the first price of the series indicated on one side of the card and the other for the first price of the series sufficiently large to incase the measuring parts disposed therein:

The operation of my invention is as'follows :-The operator wishing to measure a number of yards of goods, for instance five yards, holds the lever 29 with its li 29 out of engagement with the teeth 27 of t e indexplate 21 and then moves said plate in position for the lip 29 to engage the fifth tooth thereon, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. As the plate moves rearwardly or out of its normal at rest position the nose 25'. of the runway 25 passes under the lip 36 of the lock-finger 32 and effects a raising of the finger free from I the pin 30on the gear 19 to to revolve. The pressure-r0 ered from contact with the drum 11 by a downward pressure on the plate 16 topermit the edge of the goods to be inserted between Hermit said ear the two rolls 11 and 12. As the goods isdrawn along between the two rolls, after the plate 16 has been released, the drum or roll 11 is caused to revolve and at the termina-' tion of each fourth revolution, which in thepresent case is equivalent toone yard, the

gear 19 completes one revolution. As the gear 19 nears the end of each revolution the in 30 carried thereby hascontact with the 12 is then owever 29 and, moves it against the tension of posit10n and effects a movement of the indexlate the length of one tooth inthe direction m which the lndex numerals run, such movement being completed approximately at the time the pin 30 reaches the point at which it started its revolution. .This action is repeated for each yard, and as the measuring of the last yard or other length designated is com leted the index-plateand its attached bloc .22 have moved in osition for the lockfinger 32 to drop fromt e runway 25 of the block so that its notch 35 engages the pin 30 and prevents a further revolution of the mechanism until the index-plate is again moved to indicate a measurement to be made. To calculate the price of the goods sold' the operator presses the key 40 having the proper range of rice. numerals thereon and thus efiects an e evation of the desired card.

. I wish it to be understood that I do not vdesire to be limited to the exact details of construction shown and described as obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art, and that the unit of measurement employed, the arrangement of notches or teeth 27, and the relative dimensions of. the measuring parts may be changed. to suit the requirements of the articular case.

Having thus descr1 ed my invention, what seems I claim as newfiand desire to secure by Letters Patent, is,

1. In combination, a'frame, a rotary member actuated by a movement of the goods to be measured, ,a movable index member, a revoluble element actuated by a movement of the rotary member, a lever fulcru'medto the frame and enacting directly With the indeX-member, said lever being movable by said element at each revolutlon thereof to effect an intermittent step-bystep movement of the index-member, substantiallyas described.

2. In combination, a frame, a measuring drum, a toothed lndex-member movable on the frame, a revoluble element actuated by a rotation of said drum, a lever coaoting directly with the teeth of the index-member and movable by being intermittently struck by the revoluble member to effect an inter mittent movement of the index-member to indicate successive measure units "as the drum is rotated, substantially as described.

3. ,In combination, a frame, a rotary measurin -drum actuated by a movement of the goo s to be measured, a revoluble member actuated by the drum, a toothed index-mem ber carried by the frame, and a lever ivoted to the frame and having its free en in engagement withthe toothed portion of the index-member and its intermediate portion disposed to be engaged and moved by the revoluble member at each revolution thereof whereby to effect amovement of the index-member, substantiallyas described.

4. In combination, a frame, a rotary meas- 'urin -drum,, a revoluble member actuated by t e drum, a toothed indexmember having a ledge formed thereon, a lever pivoted to.

to be engaged and raised from locking-em gagement with the revoluble-member by the ledge on the index-member when the indexmember is moved to indicate a measurement to be madasubstantialIy as described.

5. In combination, a frame, a measuringdrum, a rotary member having movement 55. communicated thereto from the drum, a pin fixedly projecting from said member, a lever fulcrumed to the frame and having intermittent oscillatory movements communicated I thereto by thepin as it revolves, andan in- 'dexmember movable by the oscillations of the lever to indicatethe quantity of material measured.

6. In combination, a frame, ameasuring-j drum, a lever fulcrumed to the frame, a memv6 5'.

ber revoluble by a movement ofthedrum to effect an intermittent oscillation of the lever, an index-member intermittently-movable by the oscillations of the lever, and a pivoted finger automatically movable at a predetermined point in the movement of the indexmember to engage the revoluble member and I lock it against movement. I

7. In combination, a frame, a measuring-' drum, an element revoluble by a-rotation of l' the drum, a finger normally engaging said element to lock it against movement, an index-member adapted to be moved to 'indicate the measurement required and on such Y movement to engage said finger and move it out of engagement with said element, said index-member being adapted "to release the,

finger at a predetermined point in the return movement of the former to permit the finger to drop by gravity to ren agethe element, and a lever fulcrumed to t e frame and in-: termittently movable by the element as it.- revolves to effect a step-by-step movement" of the index-member to its normal position. i In testimony whereof I have hereunto Q0 signed my name to this specification in the 1 presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

THEODORE M. WESTFALL.

Witnesses: 2

C. W. OWEN,

HAZEL B. HIETT. 

